Cairo Airport in Egypt, just as we walked out of the airport lobby, we saw Wu Gang and "Comrade Ren" who came to the garage and met me standing outside.
"Hello, is the road going well?" Wu Gang looked a little darker, and it seemed that the sun in Cairo had left many marks on his body.
The first thing you feel when you step out of the airport is dryness! Extremely dry! Twelve of us, together with Wu Gang, Comrade Ren and the three Land Rover jeeps they brought. I noticed that the drivers were all Chinese, and everyone had a serious face, without saying a word. Obviously, they all have a bit of a military atmosphere.
The car drove in the sun for less than 20 minutes, and I kept drinking water after getting in the car.
"Where are we going now?" I smiled and said, "I'm here this time and I'm ready to open up wasteland. Start from scratch."
Wu Gang didn't speak, and Comrade Ren smiled: "Mr. Chen, it's not as scary as you said. If things go well, I think we can finish everything in a week at most... Okay, let's take you back to the station first." Take a break, I will invite you to dinner at noon, and then we will leave here at night."
Jojo asked, "Are you leaving Egypt today?"
Comrade Ren glanced at Qiao Qiao. I immediately said: "This is my friend and my French translator." After a pause, I slowly said: "She is one of my own, and I will not hide anything from her."
Comrade Ren's face changed slightly, but then he smiled: "Don't say it so scary, this matter is actually nothing secret... Well, it's just that the fewer people involved, the better."
He just smiled at Qiao Qiao, and then suddenly spoke a bunch of French. Qiao Qiao raised his eyebrows and spoke to him in French very skillfully.
"You translate, the French is pretty good." Comrade Ren smiled: "But she has a little Parisian accent, which is rare in Africa... Well, it doesn't matter. We originally prepared a translator for you, but now it doesn't seem to be I need it."
…
After driving for two full hours, the car had already left Cairo and headed east. Finally we came to an engineering station.
Here is on the verge of the Nile. The world-famous Nile River is not as magnificent as I imagined. On the contrary, it looks very small, much smaller than I imagined, and the water flow is almost dry.
"It looks much more stingy than the Yangtze River..." I muttered.
The resident here is very large, far away on the river, a huge water conservancy project is under construction, huge forklifts come and go, and the roar of the machines, I saw that most of the workers coming and going are Asian, obviously many of them are is Chinese. There are also some technical experts wearing hard hats and holding blueprints standing behind the instrument by the river to measure something.
In the hot climate, the scorching sun shines on the ground unobstructed. I only took two steps after getting out of the car, and the ground under my feet felt hot.
"What is this place?"
"A cooperative project, a large domestic engineering company cooperates with the Egyptian side to jointly construct... well, these are normal foreign labor projects, you don't need to worry about these, I will take you to rest now."
About a thousand steps away from the river is a low, simple building. I followed Comrade Ren into the office on the first floor, and after finally enjoying a little shade, I sighed: "It's so hot here, you are here all year round." How did the working people survive?"
Comrade Ren licked his chapped lips, as if to understate, and said lightly: "The country needs it."
When I was training in the big circle, I received some simple military knowledge training. I deliberately stood by the window and looked outside, and immediately recognized that the layout of the entire engineering camp was somewhat militarized. The atmosphere, from the door to the layout inside, is obviously very suitable for the distribution of security measures!
I was in a daze for a moment, then turned around: "No need to rest, let's just start... Where am I going tonight? What?"
Comrade Ren looked into my eyes and hesitated for a moment: "You really don't need to take a break first?"
"I didn't come to Africa to rest." I said lightly: "End early and go home early."
He nodded, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Then lead me to a conference room.
Only Wu Gang, Comrade Ren, and I were in the meeting room. As for my subordinates, they were all drinking water in the lounge. The two engineering personnel stood at the door of the meeting room and blocked the door.
I hesitated and didn't bring Jojo in.
"Please turn off your mobile phone to me... and any electronic equipment on your body, please." When I was about to follow Comrade Ren into the conference room, two security guards at the door stopped me directly.
I glanced at them and said nothing. Comrade Ren in front turned around and smiled and waved his hand: "No need, he is one of our own." Then he looked at me: "If we don't trust you, we won't look for you anymore .”
But I took out my mobile phone and handed it to the guard: "No, I know you are disciplined."
"Haha!" Comrade Ren laughed: "Okay, don't make it so exaggerated... We are not asking you to be James Bond. This job is not complicated."
After officially sitting down, Comrade Ren turned on a slide projector in the conference room, and then his face gradually became serious: "Now introduce the characters you will meet."
After the lights flickered, a picture of a black man appeared on the screen in front of him. Then it became a set of photos.
The protagonist of each photo is a black man, about forty years old, with a sturdy body, and a pair of eyes with a cold light... just like a snake! The photos are obviously public, and some are secretly taken, from all angles. The black man in it is dressed in casual clothes, military uniforms, and even a picture of him standing next to an armored vehicle with some oil paint on his face.
"Lu Ken Kunta. Aged 46 years old, the current ruler, president, and military commander of country G in East Africa. Of course, he prefers to be called 'General Kunta'. The population of country G is only 4.6 million , the land area is only about one and a half times the size of Jiangsu Province. This person was originally a general of the young army of G country, and he has participated in six regional military wars... Of course, from our point of view, those so-called wars can only be regarded as small It’s just a conflict. Three years ago, he led the army to launch a coup, overthrew the original government, and executed the original president of country G, who was also a general.” Comrade Ren smiled and said: “In Africa, many small countries The head of state came to power through a coup, and this kind of thing is common." Then he continued: "General Kunta currently controls the vast majority of the country's army, and the political orientation is unknown, that is to say... um..."
I suddenly said: "If you have milk, you are a mother."
Comrade Ren froze for a moment, then smiled wryly: "You can say that." Then he sighed: "Are there any small countries in Africa that are not like this? The Japanese can also ask for assistance to negotiate terms, and when they face the EU the day after tomorrow, they can also turn their faces and abandon the Americans and Japanese... As for us, it is just one of his many cooperation options. Whoever gives him benefits, he is inclined Who. This kind of guy has no political direction, he just relies on both sides and obtains various resources in order to consolidate his rule."
"His main source of income is the support of various forces..." Comrade Ren sighed and said in a low voice, looking at my bewildered expression, "After all, country G has a seat in the United Nations General Assembly, and it also has legal rights. One vote, although he came to power in a coup, he was recognized by the United Nations through his compromise with the Americans and the European Union. Over the years, every small country in Africa has been the target of big powers! Think about it, as powerful as The United States has a population as large as China. For such a country, voting at the UN meeting is only one vote. And this small country like an ant is also one vote!...By the way, apart from all kinds of international support, they He also controls a diamond mine and a gold mine, which produce about 44 million U.S. dollars a year. These are all used by him as military expenses."
Speaking of this, he seemed to smile: "The annual gross national product of the country he ruled may not be comparable to the wealth of a family in the United States. Even if you, after a few years, you will be better than the wealth of a family in the United States. This country has more money."
"If there is any tendency in him... it is that he seems to have some special vigilance towards the United States. In recent years, the United States has made a lot of moves in Europe, and the Langley Building (CIA) allocates a considerable amount of activity funds every year. , Many coups in small countries in Africa have something to do with the Americans. Of course, although they did not send troops directly, they can support puppets and even spend money to organize mercenaries. By the way, Africa is the world's largest golden area where mercenaries survive The most famous mercenary organizations in the world are all here! The water behind the mercenary thing is actually very deep. Basically, the major mercenaries active in Africa are supported by big powers behind them. It has a strong political purpose."
I whistled and said lightly, "Africa... is such a big continent with vast land and rich resources, but the local power here is weak. Of course, it will attract coveted people from outside."
Comrade Ren smiled, and then he turned off the slide projector with a snap. Then turned on the lights in the room.
I took a sip of water: "What about my mission?"